The Galaxy Note recently saw the release of an unofficial Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) Android 4.0.3 firmware leak, that many welcomed with open arms as they got a chance to try ICS on the Note, and also paved the way for developers to start building custom ROMs based on ICS. However, it seems some people are running into issues when they try to install custom ROMs from clockworkmod (CWM) recovery when on the ICS firmware.

Here are some of the problems that people are facing:

Modem flashing takes forever

Extracting system is done in like 1 sec (while flashing a ROM from CWM)

Bootloops after flashing custom ROMs

This guide here will help you flash a custom ROM successfully from CWM recovery on ICS, so read on to find out how. Do note that this method is not a fail-proof method, so it might not always work.

Warning!

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know completely what it is. If any damage occurs to you or your device, we won’t be held liable — you only will be responsible, you’ve been warned!!!

Compatibility

This guide is compatible only and only with Galaxy Note, model number N7000. It’s not compatible with any other device. Check your device’s model number in: Settings » About phone.

Pre-Installation Requirements/Tips

This procedure will wipe your apps and data (but will not touch the SD cards), so backup your Apps and important data — bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs (internet settings), etc. This Android backup guide would help you.

Step by Step Procedure

Select “wipe data/factory reset”, then select “Yes” on the next screen.

Select “advanced”, then select “wipe dalvik cache”. Select “Yes” on next screen to confirm. Then go back to the main recovery menu.

Select “install zip from sdcard”, then select “choose zip from sdcard”, then scroll to the file you transferred to the phone in step 2 and select it. Select “Yes” on the next screen to flash the kernel.

Go back to main recovery menu. Select “advanced”, then select “reboot recovery”.

You should now reboot into recovery with red text. If not, repeat steps 4-6.

Now continue to install/flash ROMs as per the instructions by the ROM developers.

You should now be able to flash custom ROMs in recovery from the ICS firmware on your Galaxy Note without any problems. Share your thoughts and problems (if any) in the comments below and we’ll do our best to help you out.